Life isthe onlymiracle

"We all have a duty to make the most of our own lives. We also have a duty to work with others less fortunate to help them make the most of theirs."

Larry Ellison

My commitment

“I have long made public my commitment to devote the greater part of my personal wealth to philanthropy. I believe it is my duty to do so and to do it in a way that makes a real difference to lives and to our world.

For me, it is not the size of investment that is the important yardstick, but the size of the return as measured in terms of lives saved or supported. Smart philanthropy is measured by how much good we do for how many people: how many lives did we change, how many children did we educate, how many jobs did we provide?

Over the long term, I want the people and organizations we help to make a sustained difference to the world. I hope that the work of my foundation will continue into the future and strive to address some of the most critical needs of our communities and our planet. Together, we will work to find new solutions to old problems.”

"A good life depends on a good education, decent nutrition, adequate healthcare, and a thriving natural world around us."

Larry Ellison

Investingfor scale andsustainability

The Larry Ellison Foundation supports organizations and businesses which set out to make a difference in the world. We want to make an impact on the world’s food challenges, on health, on the education of our children, and on protecting the richness of our planet. We look for leaders who are applying innovation and technology to solve problems.

“Good motives are rarely enough. Good philanthropy needs the ambition to make sustainable change and to not be satisfied with results that fall short of this.”

A history of giving

Since co-founding Oracle in 1977, Larry Ellison’s philanthropy has mirrored his personal interests. He has long been committed to philanthropy in the fields of health, food production, education, and conservation. Larry’s fascination with developments in technology and science has helped shape his view on how technology can support positive social change.

The Ellison Medical Foundation, founded in 1997, contributed significantly to medical understanding of the diseases of aging. Larry’s contribution to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 2014 has supported the goal of eradicating polio in our lifetimes. Larry’s philanthropy has also supported the conservation of endangered species and natural habitats, both in the US and internationally.

Larry believes that giving needs to have a personal dimension and reflect his passions. In addition to the work of the Foundation, he will continue to give privately to a wide range of causes.

Learning what works

Our core role is to identify opportunities where smart investments, especially those using innovation or technology, can make a long-term impact where the need is greatest.

We know that doing philanthropy well is hard. We expect to learn as much from our mistakes as our successes.

We seek to apply the highest standards to what we do. We value expertise. We are data and evidence led in our approach to measuring the social return on our investments. We want to be agile in building on success and in moving on from investments that do not work.

In all our initiatives, we depend on partnerships and on learning from the organizations and communities we work with. Respect for the rights, dignity, individual freedoms, and safety and security of those we work with is at the heart of what we strive to do. We try to bring a diversity of background and experience to the task. We know we don’t have all the answers.